Student Positions

Student Positions (updated January 2026):

Thank you for your interest in doing research in Cal Poly's Mobile Biomechanics lab! We are currently taking applications for engineering students to join the lab. To apply, please fill out the application form below, which includes uploading a resume and cover letter:

Application for Mobile Biomechanics Lab

Applications are due Friday, January 30, 2026. The strongest candidates will be asked to interview with faculty and current lab students before final decisions are made. 

Please attend one of our two info sessions before applying. Info sessions will take place in the lab (building 52, Room D17) on Tuesday, January 27 from 11am-12pm and 4pm-5pm. These info sessions will be led by current lab students and will include information about projects, what it's like to be a student in the lab, and even some demos of our lab equipment and mobile methods! Please contact our lab manager, Sofie Zalatimo (szalatim@calpoly.edu), if you have any questions.

Research focus areas for new students will include use of mobile methods (smartphones, smartwatches, OpenCap software, and other wearable sensors) to measure balance, gait, and other biomechanical markers of musculoskeletal health. Accepted students will be expected to start training near the end of Winter 2026, and will being project work in Spring 2026. Students will gain valuable experience in teamwork, experimental methods, data post-processing, MATLAB coding, wearable sensors, statistical analysis of results, and written and oral communication of results including preparation of conference abstracts and/or journal papers. Students will be expected to work approximately 10 hours per week, and preference will be given to students who can continue working in the lab past this academic year. Student interest in the lab is typically higher than we can accommodate, so we expect the selection process to be competitive. Strong preference will be given to students with a minimum of 3.0 GPA and a clear excitement about the research we do in the lab!

Information for Future Recruitment Cycles:

If you are interested in joining the lab but not until a future recruitment cycle, please fill out this Google interest form:

Mobile Biomechanics Lab Interest Form

We will keep in touch regarding recruitment, and we will also broadly distribute recruitment advertisements to Biomedical Engineering students (via the BMED Weekly Newsletter) and Mechanical Engineering students as the next recruitment cycle approaches.

Feel free to reach out to Dr. Berg-Johansen (bbergjoh@calpoly.edu) with any questions.